Latest news with #Shramashree
Indian Express
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Serious issue… there should not be a conflicting decision': Calcutta HC on migrant pushback to Bangladesh
Sonali Bibi and her husband Danish Sheikh, along with their eight-year-old child, are part of a group of six persons who were detained from Delhi a few weeks ago and allegedly pushed into Bangladesh in June this year. Sonali Bibi is eight months pregnant, and her family here is worried about the citizenship of the unborn child. Her father, Bhodu Sheikh, filed a habeas corpus in the Calcutta High Court seeking the return of his pregnant daughter, son-in-law and grandchild. Bhodu is a resident of Paikar in West Bengal's Birbhum district. On Wednesday, the matter was heard in the Division Bench of Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Reetobroto Kumar Mitra. Additional Solicitor General Ashok Chakraborty informed the court that as the matter is pending in the Supreme Court, it 'cannot be heard' in the Calcutta High Court. The petitioners' counsel Raghunath Chakraborty submitted in court, 'They have been deported to Bangladesh, we don't know what their condition is. We have withdrawn the petition in the Delhi High Court. There is a pregnant woman, there is a mother with two minors who have been deported, but no initiative has been taken to bring them back.' ASG Ashok Chakraborty observed, 'If they were deported in June, where are they staying now?' Hearing the matter, the court observed, 'It is a serious issue, there should not be a conflicting decision.' The matter will be heard again on September 10. Another family—32-year-old Sweety Bibi with her two sons, aged 6 and 16 years, residents of Dhitora village under Murarai police station in Birbhum district—were also detained and pushed to Bangladesh at the same time. Her relative had also moved a habeas corpus plea in the Calcutta High Court. Both families were detained in K N Katju Marg police station and then deported as 'Bangladeshi citizens'. On August 13, Amir Sheikh, a migrant worker from Malda's Kaliachak who was arrested in Rajasthan and allegedly pushed back into Bangladesh, was recently reunited with his family in Bengal. The BSF, in a submission before the Calcutta High Court, stated that Sheikh was arrested while entering India from Bangladesh 'without proper documents'. Five days later on August 18, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced a new scheme, Shramashree, to provide a monthly stipend of Rs 5,000 for up to one year to migrant workers returning to the state.
India Today
12 hours ago
- Politics
- India Today
How Mamata plans to make returning Bengali workers feel at home
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has unveiled a rehabilitation package, Shramashree, aimed at assisting Bengali migrant workers returning home from alleged oppression in BJP-ruled cabinet cleared the scheme on August 18, with the chief minister declaring that her government had a responsibility to restore the 'dignity and security' of those forced to abandon their livelihoods outside alleged the campaign against Bengali speakers in several parts of India had turned into systematic harassment. 'Bengali-speaking people are being attacked in 'double-engine' (BJP-ruled) states. Those speaking in Bengali are being treated like criminals, put in jail or pushed into Bangladesh. More than 2.2 million migrant Bengali workers and their families stay outside the state, but many are being forced to return because of this linguistic persecution,' she Shramashree scheme offers a one-time travel grant of Rs 5,000 to every worker who decides to return to Bengal. Each beneficiary will also receive a monthly rehabilitation aid of Rs 5,000 for up to 12 months or until employment is secured. The families will be provided with Khadya Sathi ration cards, Swasthya Sathi health coverage and an immediate cash relief of Rs 5,000 upon arrival in Bengal. Homeless workers will be offered meals through community kitchens while their children will be absorbed into local schools. District magistrates have been asked to proactively identify such workers and extend benefits at the underlined that this initiative was a continuation of the state's earlier efforts. 'During the Covid pandemic too, we brought back workers and helped them. This is a continuation of that responsibility,' she chief minister said those returning would be enrolled under the government's skill-building and employment programmes. 'We have Utkarsha Bangla, wherein we give skills training. Those who return will be assessed to identify the skills they may have and training will be given wherever required. They will be given job cards as well under the Karmashree scheme. Swasthya Sathi cards, too, will be provided, and if they do not have homes, community kitchens will be set up. Their children will be enrolled in state schools to ensure their education continues without interruption. The chief secretary will monitor the process,' she to government figures, the Karmashree scheme has already issued job cards to 7.8 million people and generated over 910 million man-days of work at a cost of Rs 19,000 of Shramashree will need to be registered on the existing migrant workers' portal, Karma Sathi. Those who are not currently enrolled will be allowed to register afresh. A dedicated Shramashree portal is also set to be launched to ease applications. Workers can additionally apply through the Migrant Workers' Welfare Board or at the ongoing grassroots grievance redressal camps of Amader Para, Amader pointed out that around 2,730 families—nearly 10,000 people—had already returned to Bengal in recent weeks, many of them alleging police excesses in states such as Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana and Maharashtra. She cited a recent case in Andhra Pradesh where a Bengali worker was killed and his body not handed over as an example of the dangers faced by Trinamool Congress amplified the announcement on social media, posting: Our Chief Minister, Hon'ble @MamataOfficial, has announced the 'Shramashree' scheme for migrant workers in Bengal. Under this welfare initiative, the following support will be provided: One-time assistance of Rs 5,000, including travel allowance support; monthly rehabilitation allowance of Rs 5,000 for up to one year, if unemployed; a total of 22.4 lakh migrant workers from Bengal will benefit from this scheme. A step forward in ensuring dignity, security, and support for every worker of Bengal.'Mamata claimed some migrant workers from Bengal had been pushed into Bangladesh and that her government had taken legal measures to bring them back. 'We will bring back those who want that,' she said, asserting that the new scheme was designed to provide 'mental peace' to returning announcement comes less than a year into assembly elections, a timing that is expected to add political weight to the initiative. Alongside the Shramashree rollout, the cabinet also approved the request for proposal for the Tajpur accused the Centre of using other means—such as the door-to-door mental health survey by AIIMS Kalyani—as indirect attempts to prepare the ground for a National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise in Bengal. Framing her government as a protector of both livelihood and linguistic identity, she said: 'It is our duty to ensure that Bengal's workers live and work with dignity and security.'Subscribe to India Today Magazine- Ends
The Hindu
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Pregnant daughter pushed into Bangladesh, father wonders what will be nationality of the grandchild
'What will be the nationality of my grandchild, if he is born in Bangladesh,' asked Bhodu Sheikh, the father of Sonali Bibi, who has allegedly been pushed into Bangladesh. Mr. Sheikh, a resident of Paikar in West Bengal's Birbhum district said that his daughter, son-in-law and a grandchild have been forced into Bangladesh from Delhi where they were working. Sonali Bibi is eight months pregnant and is expecting a baby. While the fate of three members of his family hangs in Bangladesh, Mr. Sheikh is scared that if his grandchild is born in Bangladesh he will have no claim over Indian citizenship. Sonali Bibi and her husband Danish Sheikh and their eight year old child are part of a group of six persons who were detained from Delhi, a few weeks ago and allegedly pushed into Bangladesh. The other members of the group of six persons who were allegedly pushed back include Sweety Bibi and two minors. In July, Sweety Bibi also released a video from an undisclosed location stating that they were arrested from Delhi where they had gone to work and have now been pushed into Bangladesh. The video where Sweety Bibi is calling out for help was shared on different social media handles including that of Trinamool Congress supporters. Samirul Islam, the chairperson of West Bengal Migrant Welfare Board said that the only option before the migrant workers forced into Bangladesh is to knock on the doors of the Court. Mr. Islam added that the situation is alarming for Sonali Bibi who is dealing with pregnancy in detention. According to reports, the migrant workers had first approached a court in Delhi and later before the Calcutta High Court. The case in Delhi court stands withdrawn and the Calcutta High Court has directed the Delhi government to submit all the documents. The matter will come up for hearing before the Calcutta High Court on August 20. Prior to this, there have been several instances of migrant workers who have alleged been pushed into Bangladesh by the security agencies. A few of them have been repatriated after the families approached Calcutta High Court. On August 13, Amir Sheikh, the migrant worker from Malda's Kaliachak who was arrested from Rajasthan and allegedly pushed back into Bangladesh was repatriated with his family. The BSF in a submission before the court said that Sheikh was arrested while entering India from Bangladesh without proper documents. On August 18, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced a new scheme Shramashree that provides a monthly stipend of ₹5,000 up to one year for a migrant worker returning to the State. The State government has also proposed a portal for registration of migrants from the State.
The Hindu
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
W.B. Governor suggests MoUs with other States to address issues of migrant workers
West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose has recommended a number of measures, including signing memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with major destination States and the appointment of labour welfare officers, to address the challenges faced by migrant workers. The Governor has suggested that the West Bengal government proactively engage and sign MoUs with key destination States, such as Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Delhi. 'These MoUs should clearly delineate responsibilities for ensuring the enforcement of minimum wages, adherence to workplace safety standards, and establish expedited mechanisms for grievance handling for West Bengal's workers within their jurisdictions,' reads the letter. Mr. Bose's recommendations to the Central and State governments on Monday to 'address the multifaceted challenges faced by West Bengal migrants' and to ensure 'socio-economic justice' for them, include implementing a West Bengal Migrant Workers' Registration Portal and a 'West Bengal Migrant Worker Card'. The development comes amid reports of harassment, detention and torture of West Bengal workers in several States on suspicion of being undocumented Bangladeshi nationals, which has forced many to return to the State. A day earlier, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced a scheme called Shramashree through which a monthly stipend of ₹5,000 will be disbursed to such migrant workers for up to one year until they get a job. According to the West Bengal government, around 22.40 lakh residents are working in other States. While announcing the scheme on Monday, the Chief Minister had said that about 10,000 workers had returned to West Bengal in the past few months. Other recommendations by the Governor include developing affordable hostels, establishing skill training centres in districts with high rates of migration, 24x7 multilingual helpline, providing legal aid and setting up an emergency transport and relief fund. Raj Bhavan officials said Mr. Bose has been interacting with migrant workers, trade union leaders and other stakeholders in various States during his visits. 'Reality check' 'The Governor has also visited their workplaces and residences for a reality his recent visit to Haryana, where some issues of migrant workers were reported, the Governor interacted with the workers and other stakeholders before making the specific recommendations,' the official noted.
Scroll.in
2 days ago
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Bengali migrant workers returning to state to get Rs 5,000 monthly aid: Mamata Banerjee
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday launched a new welfare scheme to provide a monthly allowance of Rs 5,000 to Bengali migrant workers returning from other states for one year or until they find new jobs. The 'Shramashree' scheme was launched amid allegations by the Trinamool Congress that Bengali-speaking workers are being discriminated against in states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party on the suspicion of being Bangladeshis. The beneficiaries 'who are coming back after being helplessly tortured' will also be given a one-time travel and rehabilitation grant of Rs 5,000. Speaking after a Cabinet meeting on Monday, Banerjee said the scheme also includes enrolment in existing state welfare programmes such as Khadya Sathi, which covers food security, and Swasthya Sathi, which provides healthcare coverage. The children of the migrant workers will be enrolled in government schools and persons without homes will be provided accommodation in community kitchen centres, the Trinamool Congress chief added. The labour department will be the nodal agency for the scheme, with the workers returning to the state being required to register on the Shramashree portal, through which they will also be issued identity cards, The New Indian Express reported. Banerjee stated that around 22.4 lakh Bengali migrant workers outside the state will be eligible for the scheme. The chief minister said that people were 'being labelled as a criminal' for speaking Bengali. 'Someone is being pushed to Bangladesh, somewhere he is being put in jail,' she said. 'Somewhere he is being taken to the police station and harassed.' She claimed that about 2,700 families had returned to West Bengal in recent days after being 'tortured', The New Indian Express reported. Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari criticised the scheme, saying that a payment of Rs 5,000 'will not do anything' for the workers, NDTV reported. 'Every migrant worker earns Rs 50,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh,' he said. 'They are happy in Gujarat, happy in Maharashtra, happy in Delhi, happy in Haryana, happy in South India,' the BJP leader added. 'They will not come to Bengal for Rs 5,000.' Since the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, the police in several states ruled by the BJP have been detaining Bengali-speaking persons – mostly Muslims – and asking them to prove that they are Indian citizens. Several persons have been forced into Bangladesh after they allegedly could not prove their Indian citizenship. In some cases, persons who were mistakenly sent to Bangladesh returned to the country after state authorities in India proved that they were Indians. The matter is being heard by the Supreme Court on a petition filed by the West Bengal Migrant Workers Welfare Board. The petition highlights that a letter was issued by the Union home ministry in May that directed states and Union Territories to verify the credentials of persons suspected to be undocumented migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar. The direction was being 'misused' by several states to target and detain Bengali migrant workers because of their religion or because they converse in Bengali, the petition claimed. The Supreme Court has sought responses from the Centre and the governments of Odisha, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Delhi, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and West Bengal in the matter. In July, non-governmental organisation Human Rights Watch said that India should stop unlawfully deporting people to Bangladesh without due process. The government should instead 'ensure everyone's access to procedural safeguards to protect against arbitrary detention and expulsion', the organisation added.
